Water supply installation



Oct. 22, 1940. E. HORN WATER SUPPLY INSTALLATION Filed Apil 8. 1939 i Oo n 2 r Si: z E N 9;

Qn `f Q N d' Ln LQ' 'E cv Y /l L" n n ggf d ww CO `T zo o f gwue/vvto.Erick Horn,

Patented Oct. 22, 1940 WATER SUPPLY INSTALLATION Erich Horn, Dessau,Germany, assignor to Junkers & Co. G. m. b. H., Dessau, GermanyApplication April s, 1939, seria1N0.266,s25

In Germany April 14, 1938 iclaims. (o1. V1st- 69) This invention relatesto water supply installations when water is supplied to a desired vesselsuch as a basin, bath tub, wash boiler or the like from a tank cisternor other source of supply by means of a flexible pipe such as a hosepipe, douche pipe or the like.

In such cases there is always a danger of the used or dirtied contentsof the vessel being drawn back into the clean water supply pipe sincethe mouth of the flexible filling pipe can dip below the surface of thewater in the vessel. For example if in such cases while the tap fillingthe vessel is open the supply of water to the vertical pipe of thesystem is shut 01T at a lower point inthe pipe and at the same time atap is turned on at an intermediate point then the vertical pipeV willbe emptied and a syphon effect will be set up drawing the used water outof the vessel back into the clean water pipe.

In order to prevent this it has been proposed to provide air inletvalves which, when a suction effect is set up, allow air to enter thepipes and stop the suction. With such an arrangement, however, the riskis incurred that when for example a flexible douche pipe which has beenlying in the used water is lifted, the used water therein runs backinside the pipe and prevents the formation of a column of air. On thisaccount it has further been proposed to raise the supply pipe to a pointabove the highest level attainable by the mouth of the iiexible pipe andto locate the air inlet valve at that point. Such an arrangement,however, is diicult to install especially in low rooms and in additionto taking up a large amount of space it is expensive to produce. Anotherproposal was to replace a simple air-inlet valve by a so-calledinterrupter in which a nonreturn valve shuts oif the clean water pipefrom the place of consumption directly any suction effect occurs in theupcast pipe. Such non-return valves, however, are very unreliablebecause they are continuously immersed in water and therefore becomeencrusted.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved means forpreventing the return of used water to the clean water pipe inarrangements of the above kind.

According to the invention between the air-inlet valve and the pipe suchas a exible douche pipe leading to the vessel wherein the water is to beused a container is interposed the capacity of which is at least equalto that of the adjoining flexible douche pipe.

The result of providing such an intermediate container is that the usedwater which would run back when the flexible pipe filled with such wateris raised can at the most only reach as far as the intermediatecontainer which accommodates the whole of this water and thereforeprevents the used water from passing beyond the point of attachment ofthe air-inlet valve and reaching a point at which a suction eifectoccurs in the clean water pipe which is in course of becoming empty. l

To enable the invention to be fully understood it will'now be describedby reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 Ashows a water-supply installation partly in section having onesuitable arrangement according to the invention combined with a watertap, and

Fig. 2 shows a section drawn to a larger scale through the tap equippedwith the arrangement of Fig. 1.

'Ihe water-supply installation shown in the drawing consists of avertical pipe IIJ with main stop-cock II, a draw-off tap I2 on a lowerstory and a water tap I3, with handle I4, on an upper story. By means ofa short pipe I5 and T-piece I6 the tap I3 is fitted with an air-inletvalve I'I. Attached to said valve is an intermediate container I9secured by a union nut I8. Secured to the container I9 by means of aunion nut 20 is a flexible douche pipe 2l with a hand rose 22. 23denotes a bathtub.

As shown in Fig. 2 water is admitted into a chamber 21 in the casing 24of the tap I3 lthrough a branch 25 by opening a valve 26 actuated by ahandle I 4. The water passes through a branch 28, short pipe I 5 andT-piece I6 into the intermediate container I9 and through the flexibledouche pipe 2I and rose 22 to the place of consumption. The air-inletvalve attached to the T- piece comprises a guide tube 30 with a plate 3lprovided with bores 32. Movably guided in the tube 30 is a spindle 33carrying a bell float 34 provided with a bottom 35. The float 34 carriesa plate 36 with a packing ring 31. The whole is housed in a casing 38 inwhich is secured a valve seating 39. The cover consists of a cap 40which is detachably connected to the valve seating 39 by means forexample of a screw 4I fixed to the inner side of the cap 40. The cap 40is of such dimensions as to leave a gap between itself and the casing38.

The arrangement operates in the following manner:

If, when the valve 26 through which the supply of clean water isadmitted lis open, the supply of clean water in the vertical pipe I0 isshut -oi Iby the main cock II and `at the same time Ithe tap I2 isturned on, a syphon eeot set up by means of which used water in thertulo might Iloe drawn back into the clean water pipe I0 through theflexible douche pipe 2| and rose 22 in the event of the ilatlter beingleft in the tub. This return suction, however, is Iprevented by theair-inlet valve II through which air is drawn into the vertical pipe I0by negative pressure in the latter. In such case the aia` is -drawn inthrough the gap 'between the c-ap 40 and the :casing 38 and passesthrough the open valve 39, 31 into the space between the oat 34 andcasing 38 from thence through the lbores 32 in the .disc 3| of theT-piece I6 into the pipe connecting the vertical pipe with the place fofconsumption. The resulting -column of air prevents the passage of usedWater from the tui) into the water pipe. If the pipe 2| full of usedkwater is now lifted up the whole of the backward flow of water will Fbeaccommodated by the intermediate container I9. In this manner the usedwater is prevented from passing above the point of attachment of theair-inlet device I'I into portions of the -piping in which a suctioneiect can loe set up during the emptying of the vertical pipe. Hence theused water cannot he drawn .back into the clean water pipe even when theflexible pipe is lifted.

If on the other hand the main cock I I is opened the .pressure in thevertical pipe Ill, when the tap I3 is open, causes the float 34 to-risecarrying with it the plate 36 4and packing ring 3'I and pressing themagainst the valve seating 39 so that the water is prevented fromescaping through the valve I1. The oncoming flow of water forces thedirty water lout of the flexible pipe 2| and rose 22 :back into the tapand clean water then runs into the 'tub 23.

I claim:

1. In a Water supply installation wherein water is supplied to a desiredvessel lloy means of a flexifble pipe and wherein an air-inlet valve isprovided between the iiexible pipe and the supply pipe for the purposeof preventing used water from Ibeing `drawn lback into the installation,the provision between the point of attachment of the air-inlet valve andthe point of attachment of the iiexible pipe of a container having alcapacity at `least equal to that -of the contents off the adjoiningexible pipe for the purpose described.

2. In a water supply installation according to claim 1 an arrangementwherein the air-inlet valve rand the container are combined with a watersupply tap.

3. In awater supply installation according to claim 1 an arrangementincluding a main cock wherein the air inlet valve iitted with a floatwhich rises and prevents walter from escaping through the valve when themain cock of the installation `is opened.

4. In a water supply install-ation wherein water is supplied to adesired vessel Iby means of a substantially vertically extending supplypipe having -an outlet conduit which is `adapted to extend down intowater contained in said vessel and wherein an air-inlet is provided forthe purpose of preventing Water Ifrom Ibeing drawn 'back into theinstallation from said vessel, a container having arcapalcity at leastequal to that of the adjoining outlet conduit connected to saidinstallation between the air-inlet and the point of attachment of saidoutlet conduit.

` ERICH HORN.

